The Lobby Bar

The Lobby Bar was the first gay bar I ever went to. It deserves five stars for making that experience so enjoyable.
The place is cozy and fun. It feels a bit more sophisticated than many bars; it’s more for talking-​and-​sipping than dancing-​and-​guzzling. It’s been a long time, but I believe the bartender was friendly, and with no attitude.
The atmosphere lends itself well to newcomers. It’s quiet enough to actually carry on a conversation, and there’s plenty of space and lighting.
Come here at the start of the night, have some drinks, and hit the clubs. Alternatively, it’s great if you’re more of a low-​key, conversational person. It’s also my recommendation if you’re new to the gay scene or to going out in general.
Thanks for the fond memory, Lobby.

It’s fun, it’s small, it’s cute. It’s kind of a place you go for quick drinks or a shot or two.
And they play great music on weekends. What’s not to love! I love their upstairs. Depending on which area of upstairs you’re in, you can look out the window to the bustling street of Pike where hipsters/​others flock over on weekends.
Best event here– Elections! I was here for the Election 2012– waited for the results including Prop 8 with my beloved gay friends. Komo 4 van was parked outside and live reporting the whole night. As soon as the result announced, this place was up in the air with excitement! Balloons, confetti, champagne! Screams, squeals! My mom /​friends calling me because I was jumping with joy by the window on live tv at a very popular gay bar with my gf and few dozen plus gay boys: D. It was one of those moments that you just have to be there to know the feeling. We marched and partied all night right outside after.
And then there were many other fun nights. No cover, great music. Upstairs, cushy chairs and dancing the night away! You’ll be missed dearly Lobby bar. You will be missed. :/

Lobby Bar hasn’t been packing them in on weekend nights like they used to. However, that makes going here a little more enjoyable. On weekend nights Purr can get so crowded you feel like you have to throw some elbows just to avoid somebody knocking into you causing you to spill your drink. I also like that they have several booths and tables where you can sit with a friend or a group and enjoy your cocktail.

No cover even on a Friday night, which is nice.
The music is pretty good, usually top 40s and other popular stuff. Sometimes some questionable songs come up (gay bars on the weekend isn’t exactly the best place for turn down country songs), but the music is generally pretty good.
Drinks are good, decently priced (had an AMF for $ 10, a special vodka lemonade on Friday for $ 7, and a large long island for $ 6). They’re pretty tasty and enough to get you drunk, but nothing out of this world. The bartenders are nice too.
There isn’t really space to dance. I feel like this would be a place to hang out before or after dancing, but not really the place to party it up on its own.

The Lobby Bar is a unique combination of affordable and top-​of-​the-​line. Saturday nights are GREAT. It’s packed, features great music, and is straight/​gay/​whatever you like friendly.
Special shoutout to the bartender Brent. He is personable, friendly, and mixes the best drinks on Capitol Hill. I would recommend this bar over any bar in the area. and that’s a tall order.

I love the Lobby Bar because there is never a dull moment. The drinks are requisite amount of strongness and the bartenders are often telling entertaining stories.
I am not sure if they still do this but back in the day they would play powerpoint slides of shirtless hunks on the TV screens. Which in turn always incited a lively conversation!

Lots of good 90s songs during pride weekend. Prompt service and comfortable atmosphere and even some scantly-​clad waiter eye candy for the ladies. It really loosened them up!

Fun Queer bar on Cap Hill. Took pro pics with beautiful Queens at the entrance. Drink prices aren’t bad. Hip hop, pop, and edm to groove to. Sweet place to bar hop and dance at. I will definitely return again.

I mostly love this bar. Loved when they had big Malibu rum buckets. Great music. I’ve spent 2 new years eves in a row here. Just love the atmosphere and it’s usually not so crowded. I’ve had some rude bar tenders a few times, but not enough to ruin my love for this bar.

This bar made our night. You don’t really understand the value of friendly service until you arrive at a bar that has GREAT service like this one did. Everyone was in a good mood, the busy bartender tolerated my redundant (and okay, a bit drunk) questions about the food and drinks, and despite feeling a tiny bit under-​dressed for the chic atmosphere, nobody gave us any attitude about it. We waltzed in, got our drinks, found a cozy table to sit at and easily lost plenty of time in there just chatting. The music ain’t bad, either.
If I had any recommendations, it’s that the chips and salsa should be axed from the menu. Too crispy, not satisfying. I’d much rather have a plate of endless nachos any day of the week. But let’s be honest. When I get to the point of criticizing a bar’s selection of chips, you know I’m pretty impressed with the place.
Friendly advice, the Sparkle Melon is like someone hit you upside the head. It’s delicious, but I feel like it needs an advisory. Insta-​drunk. Oh, and be wary of the stairs. This place is dark and it’s like an evaluation of how drunk you are, based on how well you navigate those stairs (and the hidden step on the second floor). And it get very busy and noisy at one point. So if you dig quaint, quiet places, this probably isn’t the spot for you.

Friendly, as always — a great escape from the never-​ending construction (destruction) of Capitol Hill.
Drinks aren’t cheap, but that’s not the point on a Friday evening after a long week of work. I just sat at the bar nursing my nearly-​perfect martini and watched «Priscilla, Queen of the Desert» with no sound.
Thanks!

Friendly Capitol Hill gay bar ;)

Had an event there for a group I am involved with and it was a great location. Curtis was very helpful, and the space was perfect. I would definitely host an event at the Lobby again.

The last bar in our Capitol Hill bar crawl was the Lobby Bar. My friend and I came here for drinks… we both got whiskey and coke which were pretty cheap… about $ 4 a drink! I’m sure if they were jack it would be double the price.
Not sure if it was because we arrived near closing but this bar seemed pretty empty, especially for its size. The bar is very spacious and pretty as well. On the lower level was the main bar, a lounge area with multiple booths, and the upper level was another small bar, a few tables, and a balcony which overlooks the lower level. Even though it was listed as a gay bar here on Unilocal,the scene didn’t seem to be so (but then again maybe it was because we arrived near closing, or everyone was at Neighbours which we visited earlier). Overall, a good bar with good cheap drinks and a nice atmosphere.

Went here last night & loooooved that there’s free cover allllll night. I don’t know if it was just because it was Pride weekend but we scored either way. There was no line to get in :)
The set-​up is really different but I dug it. There’s an upstairs that sorta reminded me of a smaller upstairs at Tia Lou’s. There’s a balcony that overlooks to the bottom floor. The DJ cracked. Playing 90’s hip-​hop. Looooooove it! We bounced early only because it was soooo hot inside. They don’t give you stamps to re-​enter which now that I think about it, is because there’s no cover.
I’d recommend for sure to go here :)

There is no place I would rather be on a Monday night than at Lobby watching RuPaul’s Drag Race, and there is stiff competition from other viewing parties on Capitol Hill. The drag queens who host it are talented, fun and hilarious, and the bar does a good job serving the large crowds. Get there by 7 p.m. or earlier if you want a seat! If you are a hot, young guy, avoid sitting by either staircase, or the queens may publicly interview/​embarrass/​flirt with you.
I have many other happy memories from Lobby, too, given that it often hosts the official parties for LGBT political wins and it’s a great place to sit and have a drink with a friend, too.
All nights of the week, Lobby has:
Great customer service
Welcoming, non-​pretentious atmosphere
Delicious cocktails with a heavy pour (beware and/​or eat dinner first)
Pretty limited and okay-​tasting food selection. Definitely more of a bar where you eat somewhere else first.
Almost all men but welcoming, no-​big-​deal atmosphere for women, straight or not
As an FYI, when RuPaul’s Drag Race isn’t playing, pictures of male pinups rotate on the TV screens.

Had the WORST birthday ever here. Like no joke. EVERRRRRRR.
What I was supposed to get:
–A private party until 10:30 pm
–A couple of my favorite drinks that were pre set on a displayed menu
Sounds good right? DON’T BE FOOLED
What I got:
–Charged $ 500.00 for not «meeting the $ 1500 minimum» when I brought in at least 102 people to my birthday party for over 4 hours.
–No pre set menu with the two drinks I had chosen
–My party was opened to the public at 10pm, half an hour early.
Day of, the bar tender mysteriously «quit» the day of my party. The new bar tender told us point blank «You should really order all your drinks right now because you won’t make the minimum.» Seriously?!
They DIDN’T keep track of who was in my party and who wasn’t even though we had white bands on our wrists, so the tab was screwed up from the beginning.
My party was opened to the public 30 minutes early. At the end of the night they charged me $ 500.00. Yes, you read that correctly. FIVE HUNDRED dollars because they said I didn’t meet the minimum. I had over 100 people come to my birthday party, literally. You’re telling me I didn’t meet the minimum?! I also orders two platters of cookies for $ 80.00.
I tried call to talk to the owner and even showed up a couple times for a week but he «wasn’t there» and I got no response. I even prepared a list of all my friend’s last 4 digits of their card number to verify amounts but the owner didn’t even call back, acknowledge that I showed up, or try to correct the situation or see if we didn’t meet the minimum in case that could have been a possiblity. The owner is not trustworthy and will steal your money.
SHITTY SERVICE, SHITTY EXPERIENCE.
Thanks, Lobby Bar for ruining my birthday.
Will never go back.

During our bar crawl, we stop by in this place to get a drink. My eyes got wide because this bar is gorgeous.
The Lobby Bar have two levels of elegance. The mezzanine, situated with a full view of the main bar, offers comfortable space with tall cozy booths or seating area, has own bar and restroom. Upper level windows provide a view of the always entertaining action along East Pike Street below and three LCD TV. I just love the stairway that goes along both side of the main floor.
We got three Blueberry Lemon Drops and it was very tasty. The bartender is super cool, I believe his name was Doug which made us this Rainbow Shots that was amazing to see him make the drink with one mixer shaker.
I check on the bar menu and it look simple and basic… spotted mac n cheese bites so definitely want to come back to try it.
TIP: HAPPY HOUR — is every day from 3 – 7. $ 2.50 Drafts, $ 4 Double Wells, and $ 4 Wines

The Lobby Bar wins the Unilocal Drinks award for biggest and strongest drinks compared to anything else that was offered in the half off specials. As our group of Unilocalers walked in, we immediately headed up stairs and took over as much space as we could. The upstairs area has it’s own bar and also has a lot of seating that overlooks the lower area which is good for watching the featured entertainment which was Family Feud on the night we were there.
The staff was helpful and easily handled all of our drink orders once we were able to figure out which drinks were being offered in the Unilocal promotion. Overall, a good atmosphere and great drinks made for a solid stop on our Unilocal Drinks adventures.

So in our tour of bars on Cap Hill we decided to turn to Unilocal to see where to go next. Since The Lobby had such a high star rating that’s where we went.
No cover (yay!) but it was completely dead inside. There was a ton of room because, well, no one was there. Drinks were a little pricey, but strong enough to back it. Bartender was super nice, and I loved the décor but the music was meh. We ended up sitting and drinking as opposed to feeling like we should get up and dance. Maybe next time…